First Corinthians - Galatians

First Corinthians curses not loving Jesus, Galatians preaching a false gospel.

Curse

First Corinthians and Galatians connect in part on the idea of a curse.

The Aramaic term translated "curse" in these verses means something very different then the English definition of curse.

The Aramaic term comes directly from Hebrew and means to "fence authoritatvely from." From what? From everyone/everything else. The picture is one of putting a fence around something or someone so it's off limits to, or separated from, everyone else.

Paul is not advocating casting a spell on someone or wanting God to damn them. Rather, he's asking the Corinthians and the Galatians to be vigilant about not letting these infectious guys loose. If someone doesn't love Jesus or preaches a false gospel, which are probably the same thing, don't give them the pulpit.

This definition is so far from the English sense of "curse" it deserves a different word. The idea is to separate or sanction or restrict someone. The focus is on protecting others, not doing harm to the offender as curse might imply.

This definition of curse bears out in the larger context of Galatians in several ways, but in none so clear as the story of the time Paul had to confront Peter. Paul tells the story as a model to the Galatians of how it's necessary at times to confont people. Paul's concern was that the new Gentile converts would draw the wrong idea from the way Peter was acting so Paul confronted Peter about his behavior while everyone was watching. In so doing he built a fence between Peter's actions and the new converts Paul was protecting. The point to the Galatians is that even the good guys get it wrong at times and need to be rebuked, so how much more the false preachers in Galatia.

By Galatians 5 the subject is circumcision and there's another example of fencing. The false preachers wanted the Galatians circumcised, but the Galatians knew better, or at least had been taught better. The problem is they were putting up with this craziness instead of fencing these guys, so Paul basically says if you don't cut these guys off from your community (fence them) they will have you cutting off your foreskins. So what will it be?

Offerings

Another detail that connects First Corinthians and Galatians is the reference to how offerings were to work in Galatia.

This passage is odd for a couple reasons. First, Paul says that the Corinthians should do offerings like the Galatians. Well, there's no record of what he told the Galatians anywhere in the Bible. Not in Galatians and not in Acts. That's a bit odd, but even more odd is the way Paul repeats the instructions. If he was referring to some known way of doing things, "like the Galatians do," then why repeat it?

It appears the passage lives at the end of First Corinthians, but mentions Galatians, for the purpose of connecting the books and saving precious column space in the Bible. Since First Corinthians 16 is close to Galatians, the passage addresses the Corinthians and the Galatians at the same time and Galatians does not have to include a redundant passage about offerings. Clever.

It's hard to imagine this is the result of the original authors, editors, canonizers. This looks like something the Holy Spirit just caused to work, knowing his final product and book order.

Persecution

Quite a bit of Paul's story is shared in First Corinthians 15 and the opening chapters of Galatians. Quite a few similar details are given in both passages, one such being the way Paul persecuted the church.

When Paul says in Galatians 1:13 "You have heard" it means "what you just read" in First Corinthians 15:9.

Encounter

Paul also talks about his encounter with Jesus in both passages.

Both passages mention that Paul saw Jesus, but they also mention that Paul saw him last.

By Ryan Eaton
Posted Sunday, Issachar 25, 13001